Electrical ignition apparatus.



Patented May 2, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. H. GROCKBR. ELECTRICAL IGNITION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1910.

Patented May 2, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALBERT H. CLBQCKER, GIF CHZEUAG, XLLNGKS.

ELECTRICAL IGNITIN APFARTUS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Application led January 3, E910. Serial No. 536,063.

To all whom it may concern.:

lie it known that l, Animar il. Oneonta, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful. improvements in Electrical ,ignition Apparatus, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in spark controllers for magneto equipped gas engines, and has for its object primarily the provision of a spark controller, by means of' which the time of the spark may be advanced or retarded while the strength of the spark will always be maintained at a maximum.

In magneto equipped gas. engines, the sparking system ordinarily employed consists of an armature with but one winding, and giving a current of comparatively low potential which is ste pcd up by a transformer to a voltage sui iciently high to jumy the gap between the electrodes in thecylinders. rlhe advance or retardation of 'the spark has been accomplished in various ways, but usually by changing or adjusting the circuit breaker mechanism, to break the cir* cuit and produce the spark at any desired time relatively to the position of the cylinder pistons, without changing the driving connection between the crank-shaft and the magneto. It is well known that a magneto of this typ-e will give a maximum spark, when in its revolution its windingis ina plane substantially at right angles to the field magnets. If the angular relation between the magneto shaft and the crankshaft is a fixed one, it will beevident that the maximum spark can be obtained only at one position of the crankshaft and piston. Any change of the timeof sparking by adjusting the circuit breaker, will result in a diminution of the strength of the spark, for the* reason that the armature will. not be in a plane perpendicular to the field magnets at the time the circuit is broken, to produce the spark. l have overcome this objectionable feature in magneto equipped engines, by providing a mechanism by means of which the angular relation of the ma gneto armature to the crank-shaft can be changed so that the spark will always be delivered when the armature `in its position of maximum efficiency, and the 'timinO" of this maximum spark can be regulated to permit it to be advanced or retarded with relation to the position of the pistons in the cylinder.

For the purpose of aiding in the description of my invention., l have illustrated a preferred embodiment thereof, in the accompanying drawings. l To the exact structure disclosed, however, l. do not wish to be understood as limiting myself, the true scope of my invention beingset forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which disclose my preferred embodiment Figure l is an end elevation of a magneto equipped gas engine. Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section through the center of the magneto and spark controller, shown in Fig'. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section vof the spark controllerl taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. lling. 4 is a view looking` toward the right in lig. 3 and with the frame and sliding cam removed and part of the bearing' ring being hroken away. Figs. 5, G, 7, and 8 are perspectives' of the wedge-shaped cam and cap, the bearing ring, the driving gear, and the bearing disk, respectively. perspectives of the operating cam and its frame, the set nut, and. the end of the mag-v neto shaft, respectively.

l have chosen to illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention in connection with a type of gas engine such as is ordinarily used on motor cycles, and comprising, as shown in Fig. l, two cylinders 5, openating; a crank shaft 6., suitably mounted in a casing 7, but it will be clear from a, better mulerstanding` of my invention, that it may be employed with any type of gas engine, its use not being limited to motor cycles. ln the type of engine disclosed, the crank shaft G is connected to the driving gear 8 mounted on the magneto shaft l0, by a train of gears comprising,` idler wheels 9, and 11, which are Aso proportioned that a constant relation is maintained between the crank shaft and the driving gear. If the driving gear were immovably secured on the magneto shaft the angular relation of the magneto shaft and crank shaft would always remain constant and the armature would be brought/,finto its plane of greatest efficiency each timev the crank shaft, and consequently the pistons, arrived at a certain point in the cycle. l havetherefore, loosely mounted the driving gear on the magneto shaft as will he hereinafter described.

Figs. Y), l0, and l1 are l the distributer may be dispensed with; but

as my invention is adapted to be used with engines of varying sizes and having a varying number of cylinders, I have chosen to illustrate' a commercial form of magneto which is ordinarily supplied with a distributer, the one disclosed being for use in connection with a four-cylinder engine. The other end of the magneto shaft 10, is turned down to provide a tapering portion 17, upon which is adapted to fit, the hub 18 of the lbearing disk 19, which disk is vtixedly secured on the shaft byrmeans of the .set nut 21, which is slotted at its outer end and is adapted to be screwed upon the iln'eaded end of the shaft. The bearing disk 19 is provided with an annular seat or bearing 22, as best shown in Fig. 3, which is adapted to receive and support the inner side of the annular driving gear 8. A. bearing ring 23 is provided with a similar bearing 241 which is adapted to tit inside the annular gear 8, and together with the bearing 22 of the disk 19 to form a bearing sector which provides a seat upon 'which the annular gear 8 may be moved angularly relativelyv to the shaft 10. Thebearing'ring 23 and the disk 19.are secured together with the gear 8, between them, by rivets, bolts or other fastening means adapted to pass through the holes with which they are provided, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. A portion of the bear-ing 211 on the bearing ring 23 is cut away as clearly shown in Fig. 6, for the reception of an inwardly ecting lug 25, on the interior of the annular gear 8.

The inner face of the disk 19 is provided with a block 26, as shown in Fig. 4, which is fastened to the inner face of the disk at one side of the opening 27 therein. This openingis adapted to receive the front end of a wedge-shaped cam 28, integral with a cap 29, which is adapted to slightly lit over the set-nut 21. The outer end of the cap is provided with a lug 31 adapted to he engaged by a sliding cam 32, to force the wedge-shaped cam into the opening 27 in the disk 19, one face of the cam hearing against the block 26 and the other against the inwardly projecting lug 25, to force the lug 25 away from the 'block 26, thereby changing the angular relation of the driving gear to the magneto shaft. The sliding cam 32 is carried in a housing 33 adapted to be secured to the frame 34 of the machine.

The housing is provided with a beveled slot 35 as shown in Fig. 9, so that the sliding cam may be inserted into the housing by projecting its outer end 36 through a bearing opening 87 in the side of the housing. For the purpose of guiding the other end of the cam and maiiitaining it in its proper position in the housing relatively to the cap 29, .il have provided the end of the cam with a projecting pin 36, which extends through and is adapted to be reeiprocated in an opening in the housing opposite the bearing opening 37. Longitudinal movement is im`v parted to the cam by 'means of a rod 39, which, in the embodiment disclosed, is adapted to be connected with one of the grips of the motor cycle, not shown. This rod is connected at its lower end to the usual locking member 41 and the exhaust valve controlling device 42. A rod 1li-3 completes the connection between the cam and the rod 23S), by being secured at one end to said cam and at its other end to the locking device 41 as clearly shown in 1. lWhen it is desired to slow down the engine, by retarding the spark the sliding cam forced upwardly looking at Fig. il, by the connecting rods above described, thus partially withdrawing the wedge-shaped cam 28 from between the block 26 and the lug 25, permitting bac {ward angular movement of the magneto shaft relatively to the driving gear without changing the reiati fe relation of the magneto shaft to the circuit breaker. lt will be evident that the change in angular relation between the armature shaft and the driving gear will retard the time of deliverance of the spark relatively to the position of the engine pistons Since the rela-- tion between the armature shaft and the cir cuit breaker is not disturbed, the circuit will be broken and the spark produced when the armature winding is in its position of maximum eiiiciency relative to the lield magnets. Thus, by changing the angular relation between the crankshaft of the engine and the magneto shaft, without disturbing the relat-ion between the circuit breaker and the magneto shaft, li am enabled to vary the time of deliverance of the spark without diminishing its strength and efficiency.

l{Vhile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodimentof my invention, l am aware that it may be carried out in many other forms than that shown, without departing from the scope thereof, as expressed in the claims; therefore, i do not wish to be limited to details shown, but wish to claim all such modified forms as would come properly within the general scope of the invention.

Vilhat I claim is:

1. 1n an electrical ignition device, the combination of a magneto, a driving shaft, atrain of gears connecting said driving shaft o: 'a nl in i f sector so as to be capable of limited angular movement relatively thereto, `a cap loosely mounted upon the end of said shaft and` having a tapered cam adapted to adjust said i ge: angularly, a housing disposed over said cap, and a cam mounted in said housing to move transverselyof the magneto shaft to and magneto, and means for varying the angular relation of the magneto shaft to the driving shaft to vary the time of deliverance of the spark, said means comprising a gear mounted on the magnetovshaft so as to be capable of angular movement relatively thereto, a cap equipped with a cam slidable longitudinally of the shaft, said cam being constructed to engage with said gear to cause `an angular movement of the gear, and a cam movable transversely of the shaft for actuating said cap.

2. In an electrical ignition device, the combination of a magneto, a bearing sector secured to the magneto shaft, a driving gear carried by said sector capable of limited angular movement. thereon, a tapered cam movable longitudinally of the shaft to en- -gage with said gear and adjust the gear angularly on said shaft, and means'for actuating said tapered cam.

3. In an electrical ignition apparatus, the combination of a.magnet0, a perforated plate provided with a bearing sector secured' to the magneto shaft, an annular gear having an inwardly projecting lug carried by vsaid sector, and a tapered cam adapted to be inserted between said lug and the side Wall of the perforation in said plate for adjusting said gear angularly on the bearing sector, and means for actuating'said cam.

l. In an electrica-l ignition appa atus, the combination of a magneto, a perforated plate secured on the shaft and provided with a bearing sector, a gear mounted on said actuate said cap.

In an electrical ignition device, the? combination of a magneto, a plate secured upon the magneto shaft, an annular gear carried by said plate and capable of limited angular movenienton the plate, a cam member adapted to be moved longitudinally of the magneto shaft to engage With said plate and gear and vary their relative angular position, and mea-ns, for actuating said cam member, comprising a manually operable cam adapted to be moved in a xdirec-tionv at right-angles to the movement of the cam member.

G. In an electrical ignition apparatus,the combination of a magneto, a pla-te secured to the magneto shaft and provided with a perforation and an annular track, a gear carried by said plate capable of limited turning movement relatively to the plate, a cam member movable longitudinally ofthe magneto shaft into the perforation in said plate to engage with said gear and impartrotary movementl thereto, and manually controlled means for-actuating said cam member.

7. In an electrical ignition apparatus, the combination yof a magneto shaft, a perforated disk secured on said shaft, a ring provided ivith a bearing sector fastened to one face of said disk, an annular gear carried by said bearing sector between the ring and said disk, said gear being provided with an inwardly projecting lug, and a cam adapted to engage said lug and enter the perforation in said disk to adjust the gear angularly relatively to said shaft.

8. In an electrical ignition apparatus, the combination' of a magneto shaft, a perforated vdisk secured thereon, an annular gear loosely mounted on said disk so as to be capable of angular adjustment relatively thereto, and provided With an internally arranged lug, a set-nut threaded upon the end of the shaft, a cap adapted to slide longitudinally of said set-nut, said cap being provided with a cam adapted upon longitudinal movement. of the cap to engage the lug on said gear and adjust. the gear-on the disk, and means for engaging said cap to impart longitudinal movement thereto.

ALBERT H. CROCKICR lYitnesses:

I. J. 'TiLsoN, G. E. HOLMES. 

